Veteran CP sports reporter Donna Spencer wins 2025 Randy Starkman Award

CALGARY – Donna Spencer, a prominent voice in amateur sports coverage and the longtime leader of The Canadian Press’s Olympic team, is the winner of this year’s Randy Starkman Award for leadership in sports journalism.

AthletesCAN announced Spencer as this year’s winner of the award Friday as part of the 2025 Canadian Sport Awards.

Spencer, who has been with The Canadian Press for nearly 28 years, is the organization’s leading reporter on amateur athletics and women’s hockey, while also covering curling and major sports in her current hometown of Calgary.

The award is named after former Toronto Star reporter Randy Starkman, who was a leader in amateur athletics and Olympic coverage before his death in 2012 at age 51.

Spencer said she worked frequently alongside Starkman after joining CP in 1997 and paid tribute to her colleague on Friday.

“Randy set a high bar for covering high-performance sports in this country,” Spencer said in a videotaped acceptance speech.

“He was really good at it. Among the lessons I learned about how to cover an Olympic Games from Randy is to do a lot of homework before you ever arrive at the Games. And once you get there, always carry snacks with you.”

She recently covered her 12th Olympics at the 2024 Paris Games, where she reported on Summer McIntosh’s three gold and one silver medals won in the pool.

She has also reported extensively on issues surrounding amateur sport, from the affordability hurdles Canadian athletes face to attempts to combat abuse in sport.

She has written the on the effects of Hockey Canada sexual assault trial at the grassroots level, and whether the acquittal of the players would affect calls for change within the sport. Another story highlighted how ski jumper Alex Loutitt’s world titles connect to her Gwich’in roots and family history.

A recently published story highlighted a wave of pool closures across Canada despite the success of McIntosh, highlighting Spencer’s ability to go beyond the famous athlete and get at the sports-related issues facing everyday Canadians.

“Donna Spencer is one of the most dogged reporters in Canadian sports,” CP Sports Editor Scott Brown said. “Nobody documents the struggles of Canada’s elite athletes better — and she’s been doing it steadily for decades. 

“What makes her stand out is how she combines hard-nosed reporting on systemic issues with human storytelling.”

Spencer is the second reporter from The Canadian Press to win the award after Lori Ewing in 2022.

Other AthletesCAN awards announced Friday include:

Athlete Voice Award, Rep of the Year: Jacqueline Simoneau, artistic swimming.

Bruce Kidd Leadership Award: Anastasia Bucsis, speedskating.

True Sport Award: Taylor de Boer, volleyball.

Athletes CAN Social Responsibility Award: Diana Matheson, soccer.

Athlete Support Award: CAN Fund, Canadian Athletes Now Fund.

Game Plan Champion Award, Steph Currie, alpine.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 3, 2025.